ISS 25 (1995).pdf - The International Council of Museums

Such relationships are better explained under the conceptual frame of the the holistic
paradigm, according to which the universe is understood as a relative system , where man is a
mere element, not the centre. Under such frame it becomes clear that the museum is not
concemed only with man and the cultural production, but to nature in all its diversity and to the
universe as a whole. That is what we understand as the total environment, or the total heritage of
humanity. The first two basic characteristics of the Museum are thus understood: its intrinsic
relationship with nature and culture; and its plurality.
Understanding the museum as a phenomenon, it is easy to accept that it assumes different
expressions in space and time. That is, Museum is not one thing - it is a generic concept that
encompasses a wide range of places, institutions, mental attitudes, cultural initiatives.
Different societies develop different conceptions of the universe - and the idea of museum is one
of the expressions of the world vision of each social group, in a specific time and situation. We are
so used to our own conceptual models of museum, specific of the occidental society, that little
attention is given to the difference. ICOFOM has barely investigated, for example, what is the
dominant idea of museum in each region of the world, or which local significances does this term
assume within specific communities. The same concept (Ecomuseum, for example) may have
several significances, according to the cultural identity of the group that is referring to it. Some
societies do not even develop an idea of museum.
But once we understand that the Museum (phenomenon) is not the same as one museum
(limited expression of such phenomenon), we are able to identify which idea of museum is present
in which community or social group. Museum may thus be understood as:
· an institution;
· a physical space (territory, area or building) wich contains movable and inmovable
parcels of heritage;
· a physical space for the exploration, investigation and experimentation of the new;
· a space for the preservation of memory of mankind and of the planet earth;
· a special relationship between man and the environment;
· an intellectual space of creativity and production of culture (herein included the
imaginary spaces of human mind - those called' the inner museum' );
· the biosphere.
Museological activity is thus possible not only in those places traditionally recognized as
museums, but also in every site or intellectual sphere where Man and Nature have integrated so as
to create culture and knowledge. That includes those rare sites in our planet barely touched or still
untouched by Man, where natural processes remain completely or almost preserved. That goes
within ourselves, towards the "inner museum" where the complicated processes of our mind shape
a very specific· mental and emotional heritage" . That goes beyond what is known as the biosphere
- towards the universe.
Within this immense framework, we need to identify which specific representations of the
museum phenomenon are we dealing with, in a specific society, time and situation - as our main
working tool.
The following step is to define what to do and how. WlJat to do may be explained by the
political and cultural approach of Museology - which aims and actions must refer to the group under
study. How to do relates to Museography - the instrumentalization of museology itself, i.e., the
practical support that makes possible to apply to reality concepts and philosophies of action
designed for each museum. One of the great mistakes of museum professionals is to imagine that
it is possible to develop museums making plain use of museum techniques - not taking into
account that museography is not and end in itself, it is a tool , a process through which
museology is implemented. We still see museums that deal only with objects subtracted from their
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